As promised, Microsoft ushered Rise of the Tomb Raider into the spotlight during last night’s The Game Awards 2015 ceremony to showcase our first peek at the Baba Yaga story expansion due for release in early 2016.
But beyond that, season pass holders will be pleased to note that the publisher along with Crystal Dynamics have locked down release windows for the testing Endurance Mode, while Cold Darkness Awakened is slated for mid-to-late 2016.
It’s the latter of the two that’s arguably the more enticing when it comes to Rise of the Tomb Raider’s post-launch plans. If Baba Yaga orbits around the ancient folklore witch, then Cold Darkness Awakened will focus on a different strand of the supernatural – this time, a long-dormant spell that transforms man and beast alike into raging killing machines.
The release plans for the DLC are as follows:
Endurance Mode — December 29
Fire takes fuel, cold kills the unprepared, food restores health, but everything must be caught, collected, or crafted. You start with nothing and must find everything. Challenge friends to your longest survival run and battle to the top of the leaderboards for the title of Ultimate Survivor. Includes a new outfit and weapon.
Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch — Early 2016
Featuring hours of new gameplay, this adventure expands the story of the main campaign with Lara facing deadly new adversaries, exploring a new puzzle-filled tomb, and solving a decades old mystery, all culminating in a showdown with an ancient and mythic evil. Includes a new outfit, and a new bow.
Cold Darkness Awakened — 2016
Decommissioned during the Cold War, a dormant weapons research base has been breached, unleashing a mysterious affliction into the Siberian wilds that transforms beasts and men into blood-thirsty, mindless killers. Lara must overcome increasingly dangerous waves of these infected predators while scrounging their equipment and crafting additional gear on the fly, in kill or be killed survival-combat. Fight for your life against new enemies and complete new challenges, while discovering a way to stop or perhaps even reverse this impending catastrophe. Includes a new outfit and weapon.
Before all that, though, Lara will engage in some old-fashioned witch hunting when Baba Yaga: The Temple Of The Witch launches for Rise of the Tomb Raider in early 2016.